Setia City Mall is Malaysia’s first Green Mark Gold-certified mall

Posted: June 25, 2012

Measures include use of green build materials, bio-composting and bicycle parks
Mall will reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 3,900 tonnes per year

By Suvarna Beesetti

Environment sustainability systems, including a high-efficiency air-conditioning system, an integrated building energy management system, and energy-efficient escalators and lifts, have helped Setia City Mall to realise 17% in energy savings (photo credit: Setia City Mall)

Even the shopping malls in Malaysia are turning green. Setia City Mall, located in Setia Alam, Shah Alam, became the first mall in the country to receive Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Gold Award. It has also submitted and is pending certification from the Malaysian Green Building Index.

Robert Spinks, the mall’s development director, says, “A green shopping centre consumes less resources to construct and will, in the longer term, deliver an improved bottom line to its owner compared to a conventional building. Additional investment in terms of construction cost ranges from about 3% up to 7%, and the average payback is between 1.5 and 5 years.”

Robert Spinks (photo credit: Setia City Mall)

Setia City Mall was developed by a 50-50 joint venture between SP Setia and the Asian Retail Investment Fund, a fund managed by the investment arm of international property developer Lend Lease.

The RM450-million (US$141.4 million) retail destination, which opened its doors to the public last month, has about 700,000 sq ft of net lettable area spread over four floors, and houses over 230 local and international retailers, a 4.2 ha park, and features alfresco dining facilities and an entertainment precinct.

The building’s passive design includes low emission glazing, heat insulation on the atrium roof and low wall-to-window ratio for an efficient building envelop. It also features natural daylight in the mall concourse as well as natural ventilation in the car park areas.

Some of the key green initiatives that have helped Setia City Mall to realise 17% in energy savings include a high-efficiency air-conditioning system, an integrated building energy management system, daylight sensors in the car park and mall atrium, as well as energy-efficient escalators and lifts. The use of energy-saving light fittings alone contributed to 50% savings in electricity use.

A major portion of the mall’s energy savings is contributed by the air-conditioning equipment, such as the use of a high efficiency motor, chiller performance, condenser water pumps and fans, that are more than 80% energy efficient, and the design of which exceeds the local building code requirement. The cooling tower and air distribution system used are also 50% and 24% more energy-efficient respectively.

This will result in an estimated savings of 7.9 million kWh per year, as well as a reduction of carbon emission of 3,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) over the same period (based on the assumption that 500 g of CO₂ is released for every kWh electricity consumed).

In fact, Setia City Mall is able to achieve an Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) of 208 kWh/sq m/year. In comparison, the national average for code compliant commercial buildings in Singapore is an EEI of 215. (Shopping centres typically have a higher EEI due to their large common areas as compared to office or residential buildings.)

Other environmentally friendly initiatives include a 21% savings in water consumption thanks to the use of WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling & Standards) certified sanitary fixtures and fittings in all toilets, rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation, the use of drip irrigation for all planter boxes and the recycling of condensate water that led to a savings of 16%.

The mall also uses a number of Singapore Green Label products such as lightweight concrete block for all external walls as well as ceiling and partition board for internal partition. Other sustainable building materials used are toilet cubicle partition, ozone friendly refrigerant, and low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint in the base building as well as tenant areas.

Besides providing bicycle parking bays, the mall has also implemented bio-composting of organic food waste to produce organic fertiliser for its landscape. It also has a community waste recycling centre, which was set up as a buyback centre to commit local residents to a sustained recycling programme, thus reducing the waste that goes to landfill. Similarly, all waste generated during the mall’s construction was logged and diverted for reuse or recycling.

So will green shopping malls now become the norm in Malaysia? Spinks answered: “From a shopper’s point of view, global shopping trends will see the local consumer becoming more sophisticated. Shoppers will demand that the brands they buy and the places they go to shop are responsible towards the environment.”